Shoe-fit checking device



United States Patent @i' 3,022,577 SHQE-FIT CHECKING DEVICE Milton M.Roclnnore, 102 Brookby Road, Scarsdale, N.Y. Filed Oct. 13, 1960. Ser.No. 62,204 3 Claims. (Cl. 33-3) This invention relates to a device foruse in connection with the fitting of shoes, especially childrens shoes,and more particularly to a device for determining whether the propershoe size has been selected for the person who is to wear the shoes.

It is general practice when buying shoes, to have the feet measured by asuitable measuring device and a pair of shoes chosen on the basis of thesize indicated by the measuring device. Whether the shoes selectedactually fit, however, is ordinarily not definitely determinable. Thisquestion is sometimes resolved by walking in the shoes to judge theircomfort, or by pressing on the out side of the shoe to feel for theposition of the foot in the shoe. In the case of small childrenincapable of judging whether the shoe size is proper, the first of theabove methods cannot be used, and unless the person fitting the shoes isexperienced, the second method is unreliable.

In the past, many shoe stores were equipped with X- ray machines whichpermitted the position or" the foot in the shoe to be observed. However,nowadays the use of such devices is considered to be undesirable.

It is the general object of the present invention, therefore, to providea device for visually demonstrating in a perfectly safe manner whetheror not the shoes selected properly fit the person who is to wear theshoes.

It is another object to provide a device which not only checks whetherthe length and width dimensions of the shoe are proper, but also checksthe measurement from the heel to the ball of the foot.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device whereby thesuitability of the shape of the last for the particular shoe-wearer canbe appraised.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a shoe-fitchecking device which can be readily used with success by inexperiencedpersons, and which can be manufactured inexpensively.

It is a particular feature of the invention to provide a device whichmay be readily preserved by the seller of the shoes, or by thepurchaser, for re-checking the suitability of a particular pair of shoesafter the expiration of a time period during which the wearers feet mayhave grown larger. With this objective in view, the invention aims toprovide a shoe-fit checking instrument whose manufacture is so simpleand inexpensive that a separate device may be furnished with each shoemade or sold, the device conforming in size and peripheral contour tothe insole of that particular shoe. Thus, by reverting to this devicefrom time to time after a pair of shoes has been purchased and worn, thesuitability of the shoes for the wearer can be re-appraised with easeand reliability.

To carry out these objectives, the present invention employs a devicecomprising a foot-supporting member having a peripheral contouraccurately corresponding to the contour of the insole of a particularshoe, and an upstanding wall surrounding this foot-supporting member andconforming to the peripheral contour thereof. When the fit of theparticular shoe to which the device corresponds is to be checked, thefoot is placed upon the footsupporting member within the confines of theupstanding wall. This gives a visible demonstration of exactly how thefoot is positioned, when inside the shoe, with relation to the walls ofthe shoe.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings.

3,622,57 Patented Feb. 27, 1962 In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device; and

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are views similar to FIG. 2 showing alternativeembodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 13 of the drawings, a piece of sheet material 10,which may for example be plastic or paper, is shown having a centralregion 11. The central region 11 has a peripheral contour correspondingto the contour of the insole of a particular shoe. Surrounding thecentral region 11 is an upstanding wall 12 which is preferablycontinuous and projects out of the plane of the sheet 10. It will beseen that the wall 12 follows the peripheral contour of the region 11and together with that region presents a facsimile of the inside of ashoe.

in order that the device correspond accurately with a certain size shoemade on a particular last, it is contemplated that the insole used in ashoe of that size will be employed as a template informing the wall 12on the sheet 10. The wall 12 and region 11 will then correspond inlength, width, and peripheral contour with any shoe made on. that last.Since these devices can be massproduced readily, as by vacuum drawing orembossing, it is entirely feasible and economically possible for a shoemanufacturer to pack two of them, one allocated to the left shoe and theother to the right, in every box of new shoes. Then, at the time thatpurchase of a particular pair of shoes is being considered, the devicesmay be placed side by side on the floor and the person for whom theshoes are being purchased may step onto the regions 11 within theconfines of the wall 12. The purchaser and the shoe store salesman arethereby given a visual indication of the actual orientation of the feetin the shoes.

It will be apparent that the invention is particularly applicable tochildrens shoes, and that the parents visual inspection of the childsfoot when placed within the fit-checking device affords an excellentopportunity to judge the suitability of that particular size or last forthat particular foot, without reliance upon the childs expression ofopinion on the subject or upon a sales persons persuasion.

T he device is made of any suitable durable and formretaining material.it has been found that plastic materials in sheet form are eminentlysatisfactory since they are inexpensive, light in weight,'readilydeformable during manufacture (by vacuum forming or other appropriateshaping procedures), durable, sanitary, and comfortable andform-retaining. t is preferred that a degree of elasticity be presentand that the walls 12 be yieldable under pressure. Such pressure mayunder certain circumstances indicate that a Wrong shoe size has beenchosen. Inspection of the device while the child is standin g in it willthus readily reveal whether the shoe size and last are proper.Furthermore, although FIG. 2 shows the walls 12 arranged perpendicularto the plane of the sheet 10, it may sometimes be advantageous toposition them obliquely so that they diverge outwardly from the sheet19.

FIG. 2 shows a device according to the present invention which might beproduced by a vacuum drawing process from an initially flat sheet ofthermoplastic material. in such a case, the wall 12 is integral with thefootsupporting region 11 and the remainder of the sheet 10'. FIG. 4shows a device fabricated from a sheet 16a which has been embossed toform a more gently rounded upstanding wall 1211 surrounding afoot-supporting region 11a. It may be desirable under certaincircumstances to produce the device in this manner.

In FIG. 5, the wall 12b is an element independent of 3 the sheet 19!)which may be secured to the sheet by a suitable adhesive. 1

In FIG. 6, a device according to this invention has been produced byproviding a block of suitable material 14,

e.g., plastic or leather, with a hollow 15 whose peripheral contourconforms to the contour of a'particular shoe insole. The base of thehollow'15 forms a foot-supporting surface 110 and the sidewalls 12c areanalogous to the walls 12, 12a, .and 12b in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5.

The usefulness of the device for advertising purposes will be readilyappreciated. It may 'bear the name or trademark of the manufacturer, orthe name and address of the shoe store, and other indicia andembellishment as may be desired. A place may be reserved for imprintingthe date of purchase, for example, and if the device is delivered to thepurchaser of the shoes it may be reused at time intervals to re-checkthe tit and suitability as hereinbefore described. If the device, orperhaps a duplicate set, is retained by the shoe store, it maybe ferredforms only-and by way of example but it will be apparent that manyvariations may be made which will still be comprised within the spiritof the invention. It is understood, therefore, that the invention is notlimited to any specific embodiment except insofar as such limitationsare expressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe-fit checking device comprising a hat sheet of thin springymaterial adapted to be placed upon a flat foot-supporting surface oriioor, said sheet being provided with an upstanding deflectable wall ofsimilar material disposed aiong a line defining the outline of a foot ofpredetermined size and shape, said sheet having its marginal regionextending outwardly from said wall to sustain the latter in the desiredoutline-defining disposition, the deflection of said wall serving as anaid in indicating the extent to which a foot inserted within theconfines of said wall is larger than or deviates from said predeterminedfoot outline. V 7

2. A shoe-fit checking device as defined in claim 1, in which theupstandingwall is formed as an integral part of said sheet. a

3. A shoe-fit checking device as defined in claim 1, in which the sheetincludes a foot-supporting area lying within the confines of said wall,the wall being formed as an integral part of said sheet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,464,571 Gardner Mar. 15, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 721,563 Great BritainJan. 5, 1955 519,013 Belgian Apr. 30, 1953

